CH. IV.] MR. white's ACCOUNT OF THE RIVER. lOl 



drive them towards it. The river continued still to fall 

 during the day. 



Jan. 31. — The sky overcast. A good supply of fish caught 

 in the morning. A small black native dog, made its ap- 

 pearance about the camp, and was immediately run down 

 and worried by our dogs. From the miserable mangey 

 appearance of this animal, I conjectured that it had belonged 

 to the natives, who were probably skulking about us, and 

 who are very much attached to their dogs. I was, there- 

 fore, very sorry that this poor animal had been killed ; and 

 that no traces might remain of our apparent want of kind- 

 ness, I ordered the body to be burnt, and gave positive 

 instructions to prevent strange dogs being worried in future. 

 This day, we completed the planking of the boat. 



Feh. 1. — The night had been calm and close ; and just 

 before day-break, distant thunder, resembling discharges 

 of artillery, was heard in the south-west. The sun rose 

 clear, but was soon obscured, when the wind sprung up from 

 the north-east. I sent Mr. White with a party of men down 

 the river, to clear away any trees likely to obstruct the 

 boat, and to ascertain whether any other impediments 

 appeared in the channel. On his return, he reported that 

 at the distance of some miles down, the channel was filled 

 with dead trees of considerable size ; and that, in another 

 place, the bottom consisted of flat rocks, which occasioned a 

 rapid or shallow of considerable length, over which our boat, 

 being made of very heavy materials, could not be carried 

 without considerable delay. This unpleasant intelligence, 

 and the continued subsidence of the stream, determined me 

 to explore its course with a party on horseback, until I could 

 ascertain whether it took the desired direction, namely, 

 north-west ; and whether at any lower point, the channel 

 improved so much as to enable us to relieve the cattle of part, 

 at least, of their load, by carrying it in the boat. 1 was 

 most desirous of leaving the cattle there, and some of the 

 party, to await the arrival of Mr, Finch, while I continued 



